Berlin : The countries that have ordered the A400M transporter plane are sticking to the project "but not at any price", a German Defence Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
Officials from the seven countries agreed at a meeting in London on Thursday evening "on a joint position on how to proceed". The A400M's future has been threatened by an 11 billion euro (Dh58.24 billion) or 55 per cent blow-out in development and production costs, overshadowing a successful maiden flight carried out last month.
The countries plan to invite the plane's manufacturer, Airbus, and its parent EADS, in the coming days to a meeting to find an acceptable solution to the problem by the end of January, the spokesman added. Germany has so far rejected a proposal by EADS that would see the purchasing countries — Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Turkey — absorb an overrun in production costs that industry sources peg at 5.2 billion euros.
Germany wants Airbus to stick to its original 20 billion euro production and development contract for 180 planes, of which it is the largest customer with 60 planes on order.
